American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964

Virtually all Americans above a certain age hold strong opinions about Douglas MacArthur. They either worship him or despise him. Now, in this superb book, one of our most outstanding writers, after a meticulous three-year examination of the record, presents his startling insights about the man. The narrative is gripping, because the general's life was fascinating. It is moving, because he was a man of vision. It ends, finally, in tragedy, because his character, though majestic, was tragically flawed.

My Early Life

One of the classic volumes of autobiography, My Early Life is a lively and colourful account of a young man's quest for action, adventure and danger. Churchill's schooldays are undistinguished, but he is admitted to Sandhurst and embarks on a career as a soldier and a war correspondent, seeing action in Cuba, in India, in the Sudan - where he took part in the battle of Omdurman, of which he gives us a stirring account - and finally in South Africa.

The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945

This Pulitzer Prize-winning history of World War II chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Japanese empire, from the invasion of Manchuria and China to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Told from the Japanese perspective, The Rising Sun is, in the author’s words, "a factual saga of people caught up in the flood of the most overwhelming war of mankind, told as it happened - muddled, ennobling, disgraceful, frustrating, full of paradox."

Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs

Rasputin separates fact from fiction to reveal the real life of one of history's most alluring figures. Drawing on a wealth of forgotten documents from archives in seven countries, Smith presents Rasputin in all his complexity - man of God, voice of peace, loyal subject, adulterer, drunkard. Rasputin is not just a definitive biography of an extraordinary and legendary man, but a fascinating portrait of the twilight of imperial Russia as it lurched toward catastrophe.

John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit

John Quincy Adams was the last of his kind - a Puritan from the age of the Founders who despised party and compromise yet dedicated himself to politics and government. The son of John Adams, he was a brilliant ambassador and secretary of state, a frustrated president at a historic turning point in American politics, and a dedicated congressman who literally died in office - at the age of 80, in the House of Representatives, in the midst of an impassioned political debate.

Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill

At age 24 Winston Churchill was utterly convinced it was his destiny to become prime minister of England one day, despite the fact he had just lost his first election campaign for Parliament. He believed that to achieve his goal, he had to do something spectacular on the battlefield. Despite deliberately putting himself in extreme danger as a British army officer in colonial wars in India and Sudan and as a journalist covering a Cuban uprising against the Spanish, glory and fame had eluded him.

The Birth of Britain: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume I

The English-speaking peoples comprise perhaps the greatest number of human beings sharing a common language in the world today. These people also share a common heritage. For his four-volume work, Sir Winston Churchill took as his subject these great elements in world history. Volume 1 commences in 55BC, when Julius Caesar famously "turned his gaze upon Britain" and concludes with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

Since its publication in 1960, William L. Shirer’s monumental study of Hitler’s German empire has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of the 20th century’s blackest hours. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich offers an unparalleled and thrillingly told examination of how Adolf Hitler nearly succeeded in conquering the world. With millions of copies in print around the globe, it has attained the status of a vital and enduring classic.

The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson

This is the story of the rise to national power of a desperately poor young man from the Texas Hill Country. The Path to Power reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and ambition that set LBJ apart. It follows him from the Hill Country to New Deal Washington, from his boyhood through the years of the Depression to his debut as Congressman, his heartbreaking defeat in his first race for the Senate, and his attainment, nonetheless, at age 31, of the national power for which he hungered.

Napoleon: A Life

Andrew Roberts' Napoleon is the first one-volume biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon's thirty-three thousand letters, which radically transform our understanding of his character and motivation. At last we see him as he was: protean multitasker, decisive, surprisingly willing to forgive his enemies and his errant wife Josephine.

Truman

Hailed by critics as an American masterpiece, David McCullough's sweeping biography of Harry S. Truman captured the heart of the nation. The life and times of the 33rd president of the United States, Truman provides a deeply moving look at an extraordinary, singular American.

Colonel Roosevelt

Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only one whose greatness increased out of office. When he toured Europe in 1910 as plain “Colonel Roosevelt,” he was hailed as the most famous man in the world. Crowned heads vied to put him up in their palaces. “If I see another king,” he joked, “I think I shall bite him.”

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic," The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time. The publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001, marked the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president.

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us - an ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings. In best-selling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin turns to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles. In Benjamin Franklin, Isaacson shows how Franklin defines both his own time and ours. The most interesting thing that Franklin invented, and continually reinvented, was himself.

The Second World War: Milestones to Disaster

Churchill's history of the Second World War is, and will remain, the definitive work. Lucid, dramatic, remarkable for its breadth and sweep and for its sense of personal involvement, it is universally acknowledged as a magnificent reconstruction.

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller’s exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book indelibly alters our image of this most enigmatic capitalist. Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world’s richest man by creating America’s most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.

FDR

One of today's premier biographers has written a modern, comprehensive, indeed ultimate book on the epic life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This is a portrait painted in broad strokes and fine details. We see how Roosevelt's restless energy, fierce intellect, personal magnetism, and ability to project effortless grace permitted him to master countless challenges throughout his life.

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war.

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant

A major new biography of the Civil War general and American president, by the author of the New York Times bestseller A. Lincoln. The dramatic story of one of America's greatest and most misunderstood military leaders and presidents, this is a major new interpretation of Ulysses S. Grant. Based on seven years of research with primary documents, some of them never tapped before, this is destined to become the Grant biography of our times.

John Adams

McCullough's John Adams has the sweep and vitality of a great novel. This is history on a grand scale, an audiobook about politics, war, and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, it is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3: The War Years and After, 1939-1962

The third and final volume takes us through World War II, FDR's death, the founding of the UN, and Eleanor Roosevelt's death in 1962. It follows the arc of war and the evolution of a marriage as the first lady realized the cost of maintaining her principles even as the country and her husband were not prepared to adopt them. Eleanor Roosevelt continued to struggle for her core issues - economic security, New Deal reforms, racial equality, and rescue - when they were sidelined by FDR while he marshaled the country through war.

Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches

Winston Churchill was the most eloquent and expressive statesman of his time. It was as an orator that Churchill became most completely alive, and it was through his oratory that his words made their greatest and most enduring impact. While the definitive collection of Churchill's speeches fills eight volumes, here for the first time, his grandson, Winston S. Churchill, has put together a personal selection of his favorite speeches in a single, indispensable volume.

No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II

No Ordinary Time describes how the isolationist and divided United States of 1940 was unified under the extraordinary leadership of Franklin Roosevelt to become the preeminent economic and military power in the world.

The Great Democracies: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume IV

The fourth and last volume in Churchill's famous account spans 1815 to 1901. It closes when the British Empire is at its peak, with a staggering one-fifth of the human race presided over by the longest reigning monarch in British history: Queen Victoria.

Publisher's Summary

Winston Churchill is perhaps the most important political figure of the 20th century. His great oratory and leadership during the Second World War were only part of his huge breadth of experience and achievement. Studying his life is a fascinating way to imbibe the history of his era and gain insight into key events that have shaped our time.

In political office at the end of WWI, Churchill foresaw the folly of Versailles and feared what a crippled Germany would do to the balance of power. In his years in the political wilderness, from 1931 to 1939, he alone of all British public men, continually raised his voice against Hitler and his appeasers. For over 50 years, he was constantly involved in, and usually at the center of, the most important events of his age. It was, however, his obduracy on matters of principle, his fortitude in the face of opposition, and his perseverance in standing alone that defined him.

What the Critics Say

"Manchester is not only a master of detail but also of 'the big picture'....I daresay most Americans reading The Last Lion will relish it immensely." (National Review)"[Manchester] can claim the considerable achievement of having assembled enough powerful evidence to support Isaiah Berlin's judgment of Churchill as the largest human being of our time." (Alistair Cooke)

I am writing this review for both volumes and putting it in both places. This is a well narrated story written by what has been described as the best biographer of the 20th Century about a man who was perhaps the greatest man to live in the 20th Century. What's not to like?
Both volumes have advantages over the other (listed below), but bottom line is that both are marvelous works. I doubt too many will be able to read Volume I without soon proceeding to Volume II. Volume I pluses include a better narrator (***** vs ****) (I was impressed with his mature Churchill voice and amazed that he started with a good child Churchill and gradually aged him into the famous voice we all love!), a more narrative/chronological layout as opposed to more topical, and illumination of the transition of the Victorian age through WWI and up to the Depression. This is a time of which I knew little relative to what came before and after. Volume II has the obvious advantage of fleshing out the rise of Hitler and explaining how the Appeasers were a product of their times.
I know it will take close to 80 hours to listen to both, but the time will fly and you will wish you could listen to Volume III, which was unfortunately never written. Both books are great though I slightly preferred the first volume.

Perhaps you will be tempted to tune in to Richard Brown's reading of _The Last Lion_, as I have. I wouldn't recommend it for bed time. In my experience it's impossible to stop the playback... one can't wait to see what will happen next. Brown's voice is appropriate to the age covered in the book - almost over the top by today's standards, but I believe you'll find it perfectly natural before long. It soon ceases to do anything but enhance the natural interest of the material.

_The Last Lion_ is a famous biographical work. The reputation is deserved. William Manchester does not shy away from a critical consideration of Churchill's jingoism, egoism, changing positions, et cetera, but nonetheless the figure that arises from imperial boyhood into a peerage long sought - and influence - is right in all of the big things as his changing nation faces the new century. Winston's genius with its tongue is revelled in through the book in extensive brief quotes. Truly this was a great man.

This book truly is an impressive work - exhaustive, detailed, spinning a tremendous picture of the life and times of Winston Churchill from his birth to his years in the wilderness. I have to say, however: 40 hours is a LOT of listening and there are parts - those mostly describing the world as it stood overall - that could definitely stand editing. Yet given this book is 40 hours, and I am remaining engaged all the way through - an impressive accomplishment.

A brilliant portrayal of a brilliant man.Startlingly comprehensive. Davidson is a master lectioner and may do a better Churchill than Churchill himself. Young men on the brink of reality (with college dwindling) must hear Davidson tell Churchill's story. Its depiction of a man watching an imperial collapse and a world at war are too compelling to be ignored.

I can't praise this audio book enough. Aside from the captivating and balanced portrait of Churchill, anyone interested in 20th Century history will find this title to be both exhilarating and unforgettable. Frederick Davidson does an outstanding job of unfolding the tale. I usually find character voicing impressions intolerable, but Davidson is the master. Transcribing Churchill's notes and abbreviations into audible sense is an art in itself. I shall seek out Davidson's other titles. Great download, in every sense.

The L. L. is a stretch for the non-British ear, but well worth the struggle. At first I found the exhaustive overview of the Victoran era, well...exhaustive. Then it became intoxicating. I found myself wishing for a time machine so I could see the empire at its zenith first hand. Manchester does an excellent job of connecting the eccentricities of Churchill's political style with his outrageous childhood and over the top parents. For the rest of his life, Winston tried meeting the curious standards and expectations of his absentee father and floozie mother. I plan to do part II some day, but right now I am exhausted.

Never did I understand so well what it was like to be English at the early years of the 1900s. Never did I understand why the US revolted and why John Adams fell out of favor. Awesome book that puts you in English society. The history of Churchill is awesome as well. You couldn't make this stuff up and never could I have imagined it on my own.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Last Lion to be better than the print version?

Oh, yes. The reader is simply spectacular.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Winny.

Have you listened to any of Frederick Davidson???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Don't know whether I have or not, but Davidson has to be one of the best readers ever.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, much too long.

Any additional comments?

It's an endlessly fascinating story. I've listened to it now, several times. Manchester is a worldclass writer, but what makes it all work is Davidson. He absolutely channels Churchill. He turns a book into an experience.

This is Manchester at his very best -- a richly detailed and beautifully written biography of the 20th Century's most extraordinary figure. Frederick Davidson's narration is pitch perfect throughout. He breathes life into the characters, uncannily capturing their voices and personalities. His handling of Churchill in particular is remarkable -- it is hard to believe that you're not hearing the voice of Churchill himself. Listening to this book is a thoroughly enriching experience. I intend to listen to Volume II as well, but I can tell from the sample that Richard Brown's narration will suffer by comparison to Davidson's. I cannot imagine why Blackstone switched to Brown for Volume II after Davidson did such an exceptional job with Volume I.

"Let us not delude ourselves by thinking that there is any substitute for victory."

I began this with little knowledge of Churchill's life; having finished, I think he's an indispensable figure for our times.

Our current president recently returned the bust of Churchill that Great Britain had given the US after 9/11. That's unfortunate... Churchill's resolve and principled will are as valuable now as they were seventy years ago.